Haven't used the forum in a while, but have a quick question. I am still sailing the hypersonic, and love it, but am starting to see a problem with it. Got my first session in yesterday with a 5.8 Ezzy SE WAVE and the hyper in VERY marginal conditions (I was going to do some freestyle practice). I found that in the gusts, I could manage to pump onto the plane with a lot of effort, but I was so inefficient due to my straps. It would take me 1-2 seconds to literally dig my feet into the straps (its still rather cold water here so booties are a must). The strap screws on the front footstap on the starboard side seem to be loose. I tightened them but the footstrap still slips around. Any way to fix this? I cannot seem to see whats wrong with the setup.

How is Hatteras? I hear you met the talented Scott MacDonald! I will be down their next year since college students get off school in April! Have a few questions about allergies and Hatteras, but that can wait for another time.

Hi Thomas,
I was wondering why you didn't come down here with Scott?
As far as your footstrap problem, take the screws out and check the anti twist devices (the little black plastic plates with a round tang on one side and a bunch of little "spikes" on the other side.
Also check to see that you have the correct "oval toothed washer" on top of the footstrap under the screw.
It could be that your anti-twist devices have been damaged (by looser than normal FS screw tightening) and they need to be replaced.
Also check that the area where the little "spikes" engage on the bottom side of your footstraps is not all torn up so the spikes can no longer hold the angle of the footstrap.
If the oval toothed washers are "buckled down" in the center, you might add a thin SS washer (like you use on the fin screws) over the toothed washer to get it to engage in the footstrap a little better.
I'll look for you next spring!
Hope this helps,

and finaly today I put board into the sea, and I had a lot problems with
Footstraps, I have shoe 46 + boots and it was impossible to enter straps
that kind of problem I did not have with 2006 Carve, so I think I will have to
take straps from my old board, which is realy ...
Straps on the board is DRAKE and it was so hard to enlarge arc, ...
Any way

Hi prpa,
Did you mount the new straps on your Futura in the outermost holes (the farthest to the front in the front and the farthest to the rear in the back?
I'd suggest opening up the velcro cove on the strap, and then pull the little velcro'd
adjustment strap fully forward and make sure that it is not caught or hung up under the
small metal wire "bail" that should be at the front of each footstrap.
If you pull the strap looser and tighter a few times, it will "free up" the different layers and should allow you to adjust the straps normally.
Also, a few sessions and a few adjustments will have the straps adjusting a bit more normally.
I know it sounds wrong, but sometimes pulling the strap in the "tighter" direction gets the various layers of velcro'd nylon strap and the cover sliding alot more easily.
I'll forward your comment to Staboard HQ.
Did you have any problem getting the FS screws (6mm x 28 mm PT Screws) to start in your board on the initial installation of the straps?
Hope this helps,

As a long-time Starboard user, I find that the current footstraps are appalling. Without exception, everyone using the new Futuras and iSonics at my local sailing spot are complaining about how difficult it is to adjust them to make them big enough, and when and if they do succeed, how they shrink back to their original size when the board is not in use. Even the dealer agrees, saying "the current Starboard footstraps are crap".

The problem is caused by the thick neoprene padding attached to the inside of the bottom of the footstrap cover. This padding does not stretch readily and so prevents the cover from lengthening to the desired size. If, instead, this padding were attached to the underside of the lower velcro'd strap, then the footstrap cover would stretch to the required size without restriction, and moreover would not shrink back to its original size when not in use.

My solution is to use DaKine Contour footstraps, but why should I have to spend another £60 to replace the standard straps, just to make my new board useable? Other owners are fitting other board manufacturer's straps.

In my and many other's opinion Starboard should address this problem without delay, and supply us with straps that are fit for their purpose.

Last edited by afblaster; 29th April 2008 at 03:38 PM.
Reason: spelling

I'm one of the sailors afblaster refers to, I sail a Futura 133.
The only way I can use the straps is by unhooking one of the screw cover pockets off one end of the strap. This allows the strap to expand when you pull it, unfortunately it also allows them to contract very easily.

The main problem with the straps is extracting the foot, you just can't. The frustration of not being able to release the front foot half way through a gybe has caused me to curse Starboard and wish I had bought a JP.

In desperation I also wasted my money on a set of Starboard racing straps without any padding but these just gripped the rubber on my boots also making extraction of the foot very difficult.

I also wonder if the fish scale deck pads are adding to the problem. Perhaps Starboards can only be used barefoot?

I think Starboard should issue free redesigned straps to all the unhappy Starboard owners. I know of 2 people who won't be buying Futuras because of the straps. I only hope the rest of the board has been designed and made better than the straps.

IMO it's about time Starboard put in an appearance on this thread, to answer these points.
After all, we pay top dollar for a premium product and expect to get it, not some half-baked, 'these-will-do', RUBBISH FOOTSTRAPS which make the board unusable, forcing us to buy after-market straps to use it.
My dealer butchers the neoprene cover which allows the straps to go large enough, but this doesn't prevent them collapsing subsequently. If you want to see an example of good, simple to adjust footstraps which maintain their profile, have a look at the DaKine Primos.